The Codex
by violyss
Summary: After Eva's death, Altair and Malik struggle to understand the power of the Apple of Eden. While Eva is stuck in Limbo with The First Civilization, the two find themselves behind enemy lines in hopes of tying loose ends and returning the Assassin Order and the lives of those they have touched back to normal. Sequel to "The Experiment". Altair/OC Rated T for Lang, Violence, Romance.


**Chapter One**

**"The Three Deadly Plagues"**

**Masyaf**

Evangeline Harper sat at her mother's grave, longing for the days where she had been responsive and grieving for the fact that her last days had been alone. The greys of her hair shimmered in the field of Nottingham. They were in England. Evangeline paid no mind to the detail. The grave was gone. Evangeline turned to look for it, but instead found her mother in a chair. She smiled the first smile that Evangeline had seen in months as she brushed her fingertips against the tall grasses. "Mother?" Evangeline called, but no sound came out. "Mother!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, but no sound entered the atmosphere. "Answer me!" Evangeline looked like a mute fool trying to save the world with words. Words that could not be heard. Words that would never be heard. The older woman smiled at Evangeline. Every time that she saw the woman, she appeared younger. There was a tree in the distance, a large oak in the middle of the field, which had not been there before. Evangeline glared at it in confusion.

They said that the horizon, on a clear day, was seven miles out. For seven miles in every direction, there were no trees, no obstacles. There was nothing in the distance to wander to or wonder about. It was just the tree and her mother. Her mother paused and looked to her with open arms. Despite the land being clean, fertile, and beautiful, things were disorganized to Evangeline. Things were not finished. Every blade of grass was a loose end and the embrace of her mother was the acceptance of something that she did not want- a marriage unwanted, a home of no safety, and death in a mysterious courtyard. Evangeline screamed in terror and backed away from her mother, falling in the process. She tried to crawl away, but her dress caught her shoes and she ripped it away. She began to run. She ran away from the tree, as well, but decided to circle back, as it felt safe for a reason unknown.

Evangeline stopped and paused as the wind rustled her hair. She had a _stomachache_. She looked down. A corset and bloomers adorned her, stained with the same dirt and rips as the day that she was kidnapped by Yasir. "Are women not supposed to be decent in pub-pub-pub-public?" Yasir's voice rang out, but stuttered and rewound like a broken record. If Evangeline had known of technology, she would have called him a malfunctioning robot. He reached out to her and grabbed her; similar to the day that he took her home. He grabbed her _wrists, one of them burning with pain_ under his grasp, and began to push her towards her mother, who smiled. Fearing the embrace and what it brought, she pulled away and punched Yasir in the nose. He fell into the creek. The creek had not been there before.

The tree. Evangeline ran for the tree and hugged the trunk, running her fingers around the flaking bark. Gaining some balance, she climbed the branches, looking back frequently to see Yasir and her mother coming after her. "I will not die!" Evangeline screamed, frustrated at her lack of sound. She tried again. "I will not embrace death!" This time, her voice rang out, amplified by the heavens and echoed through the distance. Yasir began to climb after her. A screeching most powerful rang through the air as well as the city bells from Jerusalem when a kill was made by the mysterious men in white. Evangeline nearly fell and hugged the branch. Yasir laughed, but was cut short when the talons of an eagle threw him away from the tree. Yasir scrambled back. The eagle circled the tree and swooped down whenever the two threatened near. The eagle. _The eagle_… _Altair. _"Altair…"

"Evangeline…" Evangeline settled on the branch and looked around. A female voice that Evangeline could not place was whispering to her. "Evangeline, they are deciding." Evangeline asked where she was. "You are nowhere. You have not been given a place because they are deciding. He Who Sits Above says you are not done. He Who Sits Below agrees. A most… unusual alliance. Biblical, might I add." There was a curl to the last comment, as if the speaker was smirking. She asked who the voice was. "He Who Sits Above and He Who Sits Below. I am the fire and the ice and the water and the dirt. I am the enemy and the friend, the predator and the prey. I am every contradiction that ever was in the universe and in the non-universe. I am Limbo, and they are waiting."

* * *

_Altair, they are waiting._ Altair ignored it. In the past ten minutes, he had begun to hear things. He began to hear voices that were unfamiliar to him. They were in English, too, but Altair had decided that he would not be plagued by insanity. Evangeline remained in the same state that she had before, only colder and wrapped in the red sashes of the Assassins to hide the bleeding of her stomach. Her hair draped across the table, brown eyes closed to the world. Paler than ever, she let the world go by around her. Altair sat angrily. Malik held the Apple in his hand and Altair glared at it in disgust. "Let me see it, Malik, please." Altair held out one hand, chin propped in the other, and Malik placed the glowing ball in his hand.

Upon impact, Altair screamed in agony, gripping the ball tighter unintentionally. A burning pain rain up his arm and into his head. It lingered there and burned at his mind and his eyes. He screamed out as if he never had before. Pain never bothered him, but this… no… this was unbearable. Malik was yelling at Altair, attempting to pry the Apple from his grasp. Slowly and painfully, the pain began to recede and faint images of things, _impossible _things, played across his mind. Flying metal contraptions, metal monsters on wheels with people inside of them, women in the most indecent attire, medicines that were more than just herbs and prayers... It felt as though a physical object was being pulled back into the Apple. Altair's breathing began to calm and he pulled himself to sit against the column near the bookshelves. The Apple rolled away from him. "What the Hell?"

"Altair, are you alright? What happened?" Malik was already at his side, examining his bludgeoned hand and severe wounds from the previous night's battle. "Oh dear God…" Altair's hand was in a state of indescribable disarray. It looked like a burn. Malik wrapped it.

"I can only… I can only see in my second sight… It will not go away." Malik looked at him quizzically. "I-" Altair paused. Evangeline's hand caught his attention. In the midst of the plain and dark blue auras, there were three things- Malik's blue outline, Altair's own blue outline, and the faint, faint blue on the tips of Eva's fingers. Altair stared for a moment, face twisted in confusion. Malik's fingers snapped in front of his face.

"Altair, you are losing your mind."

"I never had it to begin with." The vision began to melt away and returned to normal eventually. Altair reached for the Apple again and Malik scoffed. This time, however, nothing happened. No pain reoccurred. "Malik, this… How could this exist?" Malik finished the bandage. "Her fingers were blue. My _targets_ never retained their color after death. Why would she?" Malik took the Apple and examined it.

"I do not know, but I have a feeling that there are those that do. And it will not be long before they find us." Altair glanced at Malik in a confused way. "Al Mualim did not lock his information away, Altair. I do not believe he expected death when in possession of this monster." Altair rushed up to the second floor and sauntered over to the desk. "He was bound to have alliances. We must stop them before they come to Masyaf."

A few moments passed. "Did you mean what you said?" Malik perked up again. "About resurrection?" It was the first that Altair had spoken directly of Evangeline (save for the passing comment about her fingertips, as that was the moment that provoked all thought) since Malik proposed the idea almost twenty-three hours earlier.

"I do not see why not, Altair. Without life, there is no death. This contraption has brought so much death in one evening. Who is to say that this artifact has not brought upon death for years and years? And who is to say that it has not brought life as well?" Altair nodded. "The answers, for the first time, are not with the Assassins, though. How to work the Apple… that is a Templar cause. We sought to hide it. _They_ are the ones who sought to use it. And I think you know exactly which trail to follow." Altair's eyes flickered to the urn of Yasir Halabi's remains, given to him upon request so that he could personally show his family their son's denial of entry into the afterlife.

"They will not know anything."

"Then how did Yasir know? No man works without higher authority. Al Mualim did not suddenly know things. He had to learn to control the Apple and he learned that through a corrupted alliance with Robert de Sable. Robert de Sable had many, many underlings. There is bound to be a connection," Malik said. They both continued to shuffle through the scrolls. "This is stupid, Altair. Even if he had not expected death, Al Mualim was no stupid man. He knew that you were inquisitive and a double-crosser would not leave loose ends."

"This was his desk, though, where else…"

"Perhaps the best kept secrets are right under our noses. Altair, has it never occurred to you that there are rooms here for everyone and more, yet we know nothing of where Al Mualim disappeared? He never left these rooms, Altair." Altair furrowed his brows.

"Are you coming up with this on the spot?"

"Yes. Now use the vision." Altair scanned the upper floor and found nothing. Nearly tumbling down the stairs, he scanned the lower level. Losing hope, he was about to let go of the vision. Instead, though, he saw a faint glimmer of white radiating off the smooth, tan walls beyond the fallen bookcases. With a little work, he threw the bookcase aside and returned to normal vision. "Is there something there, Altair?"

"Maybe a door?"

"Push the bricks," Malik suggested and came over to assist. The two began to press each brick. Malik pressed one and it went in. He continued to press until it created a hole and the echoing of brick hitting floor could be heard from within the space beyond the wall. "Altair…" Altair stuck his hand in and unintentionally fell through as the rest of the bricks gave in to the pressure of his body weight. He tumbled down the steps until he reached the bottom. It was a library, dusty and old. The only thing that looked kempt and used was the desk before him. He pulled his worn body up with slight difficulty as Malik came running down the steps behind him.

"Malik…" The Dai failed to respond. "Malik!"

"Did you find something?"

"We are at war right now, Malik." As if on cue, shouts for Altair and Malik rang from upstairs. Men failed to notice the hole in the wall beyond the books as they searched desperately for the only leader they could think to look up to: Altair Ibn-La'Ahad. "Malik, I need you to search this desk. I will take care of whatever is up there."

"But how is that helping?"

"You are stopping another siege of Masyaf if you can find who has knowledge of our Apple. They are bound to come after us. In fact, that might even be why they are here now." Malik nodded and sat down, shuffling quickly and nervously through the papers. Altair ran up the steps and Raul was quick to find him.

"Altair, we have been able to gather the men and women from the village, but the invaders have gathered at the gate. They demand to see our leader. I did not know who else to send for." Altair nodded and stormed out of the doors, Raul close on his tail.

"Who are they?"

"They refused to speak to anyone but you." Altair ordered the archers to the towers and the novices to line up beside him, giving him the illusion of appearing larger than he was.

Altair ended up on the walk above the men, facing down a small army. They, however, greatly outnumbered the Assassins both in work force and in horsepower. "Do you represent this village?" Altair turned up his chin, glaring at the man.

"You had best have good reason for invading this land. We have declared ourselves neutral and you are invading so violently without purpose." In the distance, homes and shops burned. Trees and tents also caught the flames.

"My name is Abdul-Qahhar." He was a rugged, older man. He was possibly taller and larger than Altair, too. "I stand in for Yasir Halabi. Last night, he set for Masyaf. Under his specific instruction, we have come to retrieve him exactly one day after his departure. Prepared here are terms and conditions. Return him to us safely and we will cease the burning of your village and the rape and slaughter of your remaining people." Altair chuckled to himself, trying to contain his anger. He wanted so badly to chuck the urn down at the men.

"He left this village late last night. He was sent on his way toward Homs." Altair knew that they thought the army's location was secret. Evangeline had been on the horse with him at that moment. His heart hurt, remembering the kiss they shared. The man nodded, convinced that Yasir had revealed their location. "Did he not arrive?"

"No. He did not." Malik came up behind Altair and tapped him on the shoulder. Altair turned as Malik held up a paper. Altair could not see the writing, though.

"Do not let these men leave, Altair. They know." Altair sneered and growled.

"Raul!" Raul came running up to Altair. Lowly, he said, "Gather some men and position them at the gates. Not a single one of these men is to leave here alive. The important ones, I want them tied up. There is questioning to be done. Save the leader for me." Raul nodded and the large group of men ran quickly to the back of the fortress, where they would cut through the riggings set up below in the ravine to the front gates, where a large ambush would take place.

"Thank you, Malik." _They are waiting for both of us, Altair._ Altair shook his head. Not now. "I am moving the civilians into the fortress now. No more of the courtyard." Altair nodded.

"And then he did not return," Abdul-Qahhar finished. Altair scowled.

"I do not know what to tell you, Abdul-Qahhar. Perhaps you can ask him what happened when you see him." Altair raised one hand towards the night sky. The Assassins tensed. "You will see him very soon. I am sure." His hand closed and a barrage of arrows showered down upon the trespassers. Altair turned his back from the bloodshed and swaggered back into the armory. Swords clashed and every Assassin skillfully ran to what they had born to do. There was war to be had and blood to be spilled and Altair would be the one to soak in the answers if it was the last thing that he ever did.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** _Evangeline Harper, Yasir Halabi, Evangeline's Mother, and Abdul-Qahhar are all mine. Yeah. Deal with it. Altair, Malik, Raul, Abbas, and the plot of Assassin's Creed? Those belong to Ubisoft. I have to get back into creative disclaimer mode._

* * *

**Hello cherubs! I have returned (from the dead). No, sorry. That's Evangeline's job. Yeah, I know, I'm totally evil for leaving for five months, but I was crushed by freshman year like a little bug. I still have nightmares (not kidding). On the bright side, I have all summer to write! Recently became a Doctor Who fan and a Sherlock fan... I've been Wholocked. August 23rd baby. August 23rd. I really wanted this out on the 5th so I could be like "Oh yeah, I make new stories religiously once a year. What do ****_you_**** like to do?" in a really sophisticated voice. But I didn't. So. Onto more pressing matters! This was almost an AC2 fic, but the plotline started getting really complicated and weird, so... no. Not happening. That's for the future. *wink wink*. I really wanted this to be a stronger intro chapter, but, alas, it will have to build up over a few chapters. I'm sorry. As always, please rate, review with questions, concerns, corrections, PM me, eat chocolate! Do whatever you like to do! Thanks for reading! Have an absolutely wonderful day! Until next time!**

**-Alyssa (The Name's Dennis, extra credit if you get that reference.)**


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